Latest news with #GMSSS
Hindustan Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: 42 govt schools to get mentors under NEP initiative
The Chandigarh administration has relaunched the School Mentorship Programme under the National Education Policy (NEP). As part of the initiative, eminent personalities from diverse fields including administration, medicine, academia and entrepreneurship will mentor 42 government senior secondary schools in the city. Mentors' names and photographs will be displayed in the respective schools to signify their association. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) The programme, aimed at long-term, community-driven engagement, is set to begin this month as schools reopen after summer break. Each mentor will 'adopt' a school and regularly interact with students, offering guidance, motivation, and exposure to diverse career paths. Among the mentors are key officials of the UT administration, including acting UT director general of police Pushpendra Kumar, deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav, and home secretary Mandeep Singh Brar, who have each been assigned schools. Prominent academicians like Panjab University registrar YP Verma, Nandita Shukla Singh (department of education, PU), and faculty members from institutions like IISER and NIPER, Mohali, will also serve as mentors. In the medical field, several experts from the departments of community medicine and psychiatry have been included, with PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal mentoring Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Dhanas. The programme also brings on board leading entrepreneurs, including Taranjeet Singh Bamra, chairperson of CII Chandigarh, former CII chairpersons Sarvjeet Virk, SPS Grewal, and Manish Gupta, and Bharti Sood, regional director, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Educationist Dr Madhu Chitkara and entrepreneur Naveen Manglani are also among the mentors. Explaining the structure, UT director of school education Harsuhinderpal Singh Brar, who himself is mentoring GMSSS Dhanas, said, 'The initiative is designed for sustained, monthly engagement. Mentors are expected to visit schools at least once a month, interact with students, attend parent-teacher meetings and serve as role models. Their role is non-administrative, focused solely on guidance, support, and inspiration.' Mentors' names and photographs will be displayed in the respective schools to signify their association. 'Currently this scheme is for senior secondary schools only but we are looking to expand it to all schools. We will also rope in more mentors looking at the response from the first phase of this scheme,' Brar said.
Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: Kataria to lead ‘Walk for Drug-Free Chandigarh' on May 3
To tackle menace of drugs in Chandigarh, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria will lead the 'Walk for Drug-Free Chandigarh' on May 3. Addressing media on Wednesday, Kataria said the primary aim of the event is to raise awareness among the youth about the dangers of drug addiction and work towards making Chandigarh the first drug-free city in India. The march will see participation from a wide spectrum of society. The dignitaries invited include the governors of Haryana and Punjab, the union minister for social justice and empowerment, chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana, members of Parliament, and senior officials from both states. Eight separate marches will be held across the city, culminating at Tiranga Urban Park, Sector 17. The education department has planned various awareness activities in schools ahead of the event. Around 2,500 students from GMSSS schools in Sectors 16, 18, 22, and 23 will march to the central venue, along with 1,500 NSS and college students from different locations. Another 500 students will gather at Chandigarh secretariat, Sector 9, while 100–150 students from each educational institution will rally in their local areas with anti-drug placards. In total, over 5,500 participants, including ex-servicemen, RWA members, volunteers and government employees will join the initiative. A live webcast of the event at Tiranga Urban Park will be screened at schools, colleges, Sukhna Lake and Sector 17 plaza, reaching an estimated 1.5 lakh people virtually. A military band performance will be a highlight of the event.
